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Technical Writers

Occupation · SOC 27-3042.00

Write technical materials, such as equipment manuals, appendices, or operating and maintenance instructions. May assist in layout work.

Also called: Documentation Specialist · Information Developer · Technical Communicator · Technical Writer · Documentation Designer · Engineering Writer · Medical Writer · Narrative Writer · Requirements Analyst · Assembly Instructions Writer · Clinical Writer · Contracts Writer

Job family: Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations

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AI work map

A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.

Use as a copilot

Task areas where people work with AI — iterating, learning, or checking — staying in the loop rather than handing the task off.

  • Edit, standardize, or make changes to material prepared by other writers or establishment personnel. · 105.8%
  • Organize material and complete writing assignment according to set standards regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style, and terminology. · 17.2%
  • Review published materials and recommend revisions or changes in scope, format, content, and methods of reproduction and binding. · 4.6%
See collaboration patterns →

Keep a human in the loop

Task areas where a human was still judged necessary in a large share of observed conversations — not a safety ruling, an observed-need signal.

  • Edit, standardize, or make changes to material prepared by other writers or establishment personnel. · 96.8% need a human
  • Organize material and complete writing assignment according to set standards regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style, and terminology. · 96.5% need a human
  • Analyze developments in specific field to determine need for revisions in previously published materials and development of new material. · 95.1% need a human
See the boundary tasks →

93rd-percentile task overlap — yet about 4,500 openings a year (+0.9% projected, BLS), and observed AI use leans 5423% copilot, not hand-off (AEI) . What exposure means →

AI & job outlook

What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.

Exposure to current AI

Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.

Measure Rank vs all occupations Percentile Score
Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) High 82nd 1.2
LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) High 84th 0.9
AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) High 99th 0.4

OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.5), with simple added tooling (β 0.7), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.9). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.

Most of this job's tasks can be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman), which tends to track with higher digital and AI exposure.

Historical automation estimate (2013)

A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.

Frey–Osborne probability 0.9 · 76th percentile among occupations · High

How AI is actually used in this job

Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.

Organize material and complete writing assignment according to set standards regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style, and terminology. 63.9%
Edit, standardize, or make changes to material prepared by other writers or establishment personnel. 36.3%
Analyze developments in specific field to determine need for revisions in previously published materials and development of new material. 25.4%
Review published materials and recommend revisions or changes in scope, format, content, and methods of reproduction and binding. 5.2%
Select photographs, drawings, sketches, diagrams, and charts to illustrate material. 2.0%
Develop or maintain online help documentation. 1.4%

Job outlook

Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.

Outlook About average · +0.9% by 2034
Projected annual openings 4,500
Employment 2024 → 2034 56,400 → 56,900

“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.

Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient

The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.

55% mean task exposure (2025)
92nd percentile of 427 placed occupations
−14 pts shift 2023 → 2025
International occupation (ISCO-08) Task exposure (2025) Most tasks fall in
Authors and Related Writers · 2641 55% Gradient 3

Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.

Working with AI in this job

How people actually apply AI to this occupation's tasks, from Claude.ai (Free and Pro) conversations in the Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15. This is one AI assistant's consumer sample — not all AI, not the whole workforce. Autonomy and the collaboration mix are model-rated estimates; figures below the sample floor are hidden.

Augmentation vs. automation 54.2% working with AI · 44.0% handed to AI
Most common way people use AI here Iteration · you and AI go back and forth
Typical AI autonomy 4.0 / 5 · higher = AI acts more independently
Used for work (vs. personal / coursework) 41.8%

What people delegate to AI

The role's most common tasks in AI conversations, each tagged with how people work with the AI on it. “Usage” is the share of observed conversations, not of the job.

Task How Usage
Edit, standardize, or make changes to material prepared by other writers or establishment personnel. Iteration 105.8%
Organize material and complete writing assignment according to set standards regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style, and terminology. Iteration 17.2%
Review published materials and recommend revisions or changes in scope, format, content, and methods of reproduction and binding. Iteration 4.6%
Assist in laying out material for publication. Iteration 1.3%
Select photographs, drawings, sketches, diagrams, and charts to illustrate material. Iteration 0.9%
Analyze developments in specific field to determine need for revisions in previously published materials and development of new material. Learning 0.8%

Where a human is still needed

Tasks where the model most often judged that a person remained necessary — a useful read on the current boundary, not a guarantee.

Edit, standardize, or make changes to material prepared by other writers or establishment personnel. 96.8%
Organize material and complete writing assignment according to set standards regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style, and terminology. 96.5%
Analyze developments in specific field to determine need for revisions in previously published materials and development of new material. 95.1%
Assist in laying out material for publication. 94.4%
Select photographs, drawings, sketches, diagrams, and charts to illustrate material. 94.4%
Review published materials and recommend revisions or changes in scope, format, content, and methods of reproduction and binding. 93.5%

What people most often hand AI here

Example prompts phrased from the tasks people most often delegate to AI in this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index). Each shows the underlying measured task and its share of observed AI use. They are suggested phrasings of real tasks — starting points, not endorsed instructions.

  • Help me edit, standardize, or make changes to material prepared by other writers or establishment personnel.

    From: Edit, standardize, or make changes to material prepared by other writers or establishment personnel. · 105.8% of measured AI use · task iteration

  • Help me organize material and complete writing assignment according to set standards regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style, and terminology.

    From: Organize material and complete writing assignment according to set standards regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style, and terminology. · 17.2% of measured AI use · task iteration

  • Help me review published materials and recommend revisions or changes in scope, format, content, and methods of reproduction and binding.

    From: Review published materials and recommend revisions or changes in scope, format, content, and methods of reproduction and binding. · 4.6% of measured AI use · task iteration

  • Help me assist in laying out material for publication.

    From: Assist in laying out material for publication. · 1.3% of measured AI use · task iteration

Tasks

All 15 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.

Work activities

Knowledge, skills & abilities

O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).

Essential skills

Writing 4.9
Reading Comprehension 4.1
Active Listening 3.8
Speaking 3.8
Critical Thinking 3.6
Active Learning 3.3
Monitoring 3.0

Knowledge

English Language 4.8
Computers and Electronics 4.3
Administrative 3.8
Communications and Media 3.3
Administration and Management 3.2
Public Safety and Security 3.2
Education and Training 3.2
Production and Processing 3.1
Customer and Personal Service 3.0
Mathematics 2.9
Engineering and Technology 2.9
Mechanical 2.8

Abilities

Written Expression 4.3
Written Comprehension 4.1
Near Vision 4.0
Oral Comprehension 3.9
Oral Expression 3.8
Deductive Reasoning 3.8
Information Ordering 3.6
Problem Sensitivity 3.4
Inductive Reasoning 3.4
Speech Clarity 3.4
Speech Recognition 3.1
Fluency of Ideas 3.0
Category Flexibility 3.0
Visualization 3.0
Originality 2.9

Transferable skills

Judgment and Decision Making 3.1
Time Management 3.1
Coordination 3.0
Persuasion 2.9
Social Perceptiveness 2.8
Complex Problem Solving 2.8

Skills in demand

Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.

Showing the top 40 of 62.

Tools & technology

Example Category
Atlassian Confluence Project management software Hot technology In demand
Atlassian JIRA Content workflow software Hot technology In demand
Extensible markup language XML Enterprise application integration software Hot technology In demand
Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet software Hot technology In demand
Microsoft Office software Office suite software Hot technology In demand
Microsoft Outlook Electronic mail software Hot technology In demand
Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation software Hot technology In demand
Microsoft SharePoint Document management software Hot technology In demand
Microsoft Visio Process mapping and design software Hot technology In demand
Microsoft Word Word processing software Hot technology In demand
Adobe Acrobat Document management software Hot technology
Adobe Creative Cloud software Graphics or photo imaging software Hot technology
Adobe Illustrator Graphics or photo imaging software Hot technology
Adobe InDesign Desktop publishing software Hot technology
Adobe Photoshop Graphics or photo imaging software Hot technology
Autodesk AutoCAD Computer aided design CAD software Hot technology
Cascading style sheets CSS Web platform development software Hot technology
Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Computer aided design CAD software Hot technology
Epic Systems Medical software Hot technology
Git File versioning software Hot technology
GitHub Application server software Hot technology
Hypertext markup language HTML Web platform development software Hot technology
JavaScript Web platform development software Hot technology
Microsoft Access Data base user interface and query software Hot technology
Microsoft ASP.NET Web platform development software Hot technology
Microsoft Project Project management software Hot technology
Microsoft SQL Server Data base user interface and query software Hot technology
Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services SSRS Data base reporting software Hot technology
Microsoft Visual Basic Development environment software Hot technology
Oracle Java Object or component oriented development software Hot technology
PHP Web platform development software Hot technology
SAS Analytical or scientific software Hot technology
Structured query language SQL Data base user interface and query software Hot technology
Adobe Captivate Computer based training software
Adobe Dreamweaver Web page creation and editing software
Adobe FrameMaker Desktop publishing software
Adobe RoboHelp Graphical user interface development software
Apple Final Cut Pro Video creation and editing software
Author-it Data base user interface and query software
Blink Instant messaging software

Showing the top 40 of 71.

Work context

How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.

E-Mail 4.7
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team 4.6
Spend Time Sitting 4.5
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate 4.5
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks 4.5
Freedom to Make Decisions 4.4
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams 4.4
Time Pressure 4.2
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled 4.2
Telephone Conversations 4.2
Contact With Others 4.1
Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions 4.0
Frequency of Decision Making 3.6
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls 3.5
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals 3.5
Written Letters and Memos 3.5
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results 3.4
Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities 3.3
Deal With External Customers or the Public in General 3.2
Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable 3.1
Level of Competition 3.0
Conflict Situations 2.8
Physical Proximity 2.7
Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers 2.6
Consequence of Error 2.4
Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People 2.2
Public Speaking 2.2
Degree of Automation 2.1
In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment 2.0
Health and Safety of Other Workers 1.7
Spend Time Standing 1.7
Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled 1.7
Spend Time Walking or Running 1.3
In an Open Vehicle or Operating Equipment 1.2
Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment 1.2
Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures 1.2
Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions 1.1
Outdoors, Under Cover 1.1
Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body 1.1
Exposed to Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting Conditions 1.1

How to get in

Job zone
Zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Education
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
Related experience
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Preparation level
SVP (7.0 to < 8.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.

What to study: Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services , Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs , English Language and Literature/Letters , Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.

Education of current workers

Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.

Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) 35.3%
Bachelor's Degree 33.0%
Some College Courses 15.9%
Post-Secondary Certificate 6.9%
Master's Degree 5.5%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate 2.5%
Doctoral Degree 1.0%

Interests & work styles

The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.

Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)

Conventional 5.3
Artistic 4.2
Investigative 3.7
Realistic 2.8
Social 2.0

Interest areas

Office Work 4.5
Information Technology 3.4
Media 3.3
Creative Writing 2.9
Engineering 2.7
Visual Arts 2.7
Applied Arts and Design 2.6
Humanities 2.1

Work styles

Dependability 3.0
Attention to Detail 2.8
Intellectual Curiosity 2.0

Wages & employment

U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)

$54k10th$69k25th$92kMedian$103k75th$130k90th
Annual wages by percentile — U.S. (BLS OEWS). The light band spans the 10th–90th percentile; the darker band is the middle half (25th–75th); the line is the median.
56k202457k2034 (proj.)+0.9% · About average
Projected U.S. employment, 2024–2034 (BLS Employment Projections). A labor-market forecast for the occupation, not an AI-impact forecast.
10th percentile $54,400
25th percentile $68,640
Median (50th) $91,670
75th percentile $102,740
90th percentile $130,430
People employed 55,530

Industries that employ this occupation

Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.

Industry Workers National median pay
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector 18,610 $86,170
Information · Sector 6,670 $83,380
Manufacturing · Sector 6,520 $80,070
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector 4,170 $91,480
Temporary Help Services · National industry 2,710 $96,940
Engineering Services · National industry 2,460 $80,050
Wholesale Trade · Sector 1,810 $88,550
Finance and Insurance · Sector 1,620 $79,360
Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector 1,460 $82,360
Educational Services · Sector 1,410 $69,720
Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector 890 $74,640
Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector 850 $74,320

Where this work is most concentrated

Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).

Industry Concentration Workers
Nuclear Electric Power Generation · National industry 12.71× 170
Information · Sector 6.37× 6,670
Engineering Services · National industry 5.91× 2,460
Testing Laboratories and Services · National industry 5.21× 320
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector 4.8× 18,610
Temporary Help Services · National industry 2.84× 2,710
Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers · National industry 1.92× 310
Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector 1.44× 1,460

Part of the Arts, Entertainment, & Design and Energy & Natural Resources career clusters.

Exposure quadrant: AI task-overlap percentile vs Median pay Technical Writers sits at the 93rd percentile of AI task-overlap and the 77th percentile of median pay, placed here against 12 adjacent occupations on the same two axes. Lower overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · lower pay Lower overlap · lower pay Technical Writers Social Science Research Assistants Project Management Specialists Electrical and Electronics Drafters Document Management Specialists Proofreaders and Copy Markers AI task-overlap percentile → ↑ Median pay
AI task-overlap percentile (horizontal) vs. median-pay percentile (vertical), across all scored occupations. This occupation is highlighted; related occupations are plotted alongside it. Overlap measures shared tasks with AI, not automation.

Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.

What you can do with this

Options the data surfaces for Technical Writers — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.

Skills that travel

Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.

Paths in

How people typically prepare for this work.

Zoom out

On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 92nd percentile of 427 international occupations.

Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation

Technical Writers show 93rd-percentile AI task overlap — and about 4,500 annual U.S. openings

  • Technical Writers rank in the 93rd percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
  • The occupation is projected to see about 4,500 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
  • BLS projects employment to be about average (+0.9%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
  • Median annual pay is $91,670, across about 55,530 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
  • Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 54% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census.2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2
Copy the whole kit
Technical Writers show 93rd-percentile AI task overlap — and about 4,500 annual U.S. openings

• Technical Writers rank in the 93rd percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE)
• The occupation is projected to see about 4,500 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34)
• BLS projects employment to be about average (+0.9%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34)
• Median annual pay is $91,670, across about 55,530 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024))
• Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 54% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census. (2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2)

Source: Singulariki — "Technical Writers". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-27-3042-00
Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.

AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom

Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Technical Writers." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-27-3042-00

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Technical Writers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-27-3042-00

BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-27-3042-00,
  title  = {Technical Writers},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-27-3042-00}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.

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